GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – The Green Bay Area Public School District is trying to keep meals local and fresh.

Food service employees from across Brown County took part in a bulk processing food day Friday at the district’s food service building. That included nearly 2,050 pounds of carrots and 815 pounds of onions.

The annual event allows schools to order a one-time large quantity of farm-fresh local produce to clean, prepare and store for future use.

“This is all part of a larger program, a farm-to-school program that involves national and local community partners,” said Beth Heller, community initiatives lead at Live54218. “It has a food prep and procurement, a local food procurement element. It also has classroom lessons out there in the schools, teaching kids about the importance of eating local and supporting their community.”

After processing the 2,800 pounds of food, some will be frozen to be used in recipes, such as vegetable and chicken noodle soup, starting next month. The rest will be available for use at schools immediately.